Forest Sanctuary
by Accio Allsorts
Summary: Hagrid gets a job as a tour guide for the Forbidden Forest and a reputation for being a master creature handler. This leads to interesting results down the road...
1. The Proposition

As Hagrid watched little Harry leave on the Hogwarts Express, he felt an unexpected twinge of sadness. Normally, being alone to do his grounds-keeping duties didn't bother him as he rather enjoyed working with all of the interesting creatures. Since the more physical tasks never took long with his giant strength, he always had plenty of time to devote to the animals around Hogwarts, especially the denizens of the Forbidden Forest – between Aragog and the Thestrals alone he had plenty to do, and even the centaurs liked someone to patronise. However, over the past year he'd grown accustomed to the Gryffindor Trio's visits and knew he was going to miss them. Ah, well. They'd be back soon enough. Maybe he'd bake some of his signature rock cakes for them.

Later that night, Hagrid had a good fire going in his hut and was roasting a nice rooster for the resident Kelpie. A Kelpie's preferred food is human flesh, but this particular one was quite fond of rooster too. To Hagrid's surprise there came a knock on his door. Expecting to see Dumbledore, the only person who ever visited him, he was startled to see an unfamiliar wizard stood outside.

"You must be Mr. Hagrid?" enquired the wizard.

"Tha's me." Confirmed the groundskeeper.

"May I come in?"

"O' course." Hagrid made way for the visitor, closing the door behind him.

"Can I get yeh summat?" The man considered his offer, but declined.

"I'm here on behalf of the board of governors." Seeing Hagrid's confusion, he elaborated: "Every year the first years are warned to keep out of the Forbidden Forest, and the Board is aware that this is due to the animals living within it. However, there is growing concern as to whether the Forest is a big enough threat to require interference." Hagrid opened his mouth to protest but the wizard cut across him. "I thought as the groundskeeper here you might be able to enlighten us as to what exactly is _in_ the Forbidden Forest." He gave Hagrid a very pointed look.

Pleased at being recognised as the expert, Hagrid reeled off various creatures that inhabited the Forest.

"Well, there's Centaurs and Unicorns, o' course, an' I've seen several Clabbert's ou' an' abou'." The gamekeeper frowned, racking his brains for more creatures. "There's Augurey's an' Diricawls. I've 'ad ter remove Chizpurfle's from the Unicorns as well. I think I've seen Jobberknolls in the bushes. Oh, an' there's the Thestrals."

The governor looked visibly alarmed at that. "There are Thestrals in the Forest?" he exclaimed.

"Well, yeh di'n't think the carriages pulled 'emselves, did yeh?" chuckled Hagrid. The other wizard avoided his gaze; as a matter of fact that was exactly what he thought.

"Aren't they extremely bad luck? Mackled Malaclaw-level bad luck?"

Hagrid gave a good-natured chuckle. "Tha's jus' superstition. Prob'ly 'cause yeh can' see 'em 'less yeh've seen death. Thestrals are actually 'stremely useful. They're naturally good-tempered, with an excellent sense o' direction. They pull heavy loads well an' they're quite smart. Smart enough ta pull the carriages."

The governor looked thoughtful. "You seem quite knowledgeable about them."

"O' course!" exclaimed Hagrid, affronted. "I 'ave to be, ta look after 'em."

"Back on topic, is there anything in the Forest that is really dangerous? Nothing I've heard so far warrants completely banning students from the Forest."

"Well, the Centaurs can be pretty aggressive. An'..." Hagrid hesitated. The governor frowned. "Mr. Hagrid, if anything dangerous lives in the Forest it is your duty to the students to tell me."

Hagrid mumbled something inaudible. "Pardon?"

"I said there's an Acromantula colony, okay?"

"THERE'S WHAT!"

Hagrid winced. "When Aragog escaped he moved to the Forest. 'e was gettin' lonely so I brought him a mate. An' then they jus'... multiplied."

"How did you even... you know what? Never mind." The governor rubbed his forehead. "You mean to tell me that an unknown, unregulated colony of Acromantula is currently situated in the Forbidden Forest? Is there anything stopping them from just running up to the castle and eating students?"

"They'd never do tha'!"

The governor looked at Hagrid sceptically. "Why the hell not?"

"Aragog promised me they wouldn'!"

"If you and this Aragog have such control over them, why don't you take me to their nest?" mocked the wizard. To his consternation, Hagrid brightened.

"All righ' then. Follow me." He said and walked out of the door.

Panicking slightly inside, the governor chased after the grounds-keeper.

"Where are you going?"

"To the Acromantula, o' course." Explained Hagrid. "Yeh asked me to, 'member?'

'Wha- no!"

"No what?"

The governor looked around wildly. They were now in the Forbidden Forest. He realised with a sinking heart that he didn't know the way out; he'd have to follow this madman.

Deeper and deeper into the Forest they went, until cobwebs that could catch a cow bedecked the trees. The governor could hear chittering; every now and then he would catch movement out of the corner of his eye.

Getting progressively jumpier, the wizard leaped out of his skin when Hagrid stepped on a twig. He gave a small scream when a spider the size of a carthorse landed in front of them and reared up on its back legs.

"NO!" yelled Hagrid forcefully. The spider, now back on eight legs, chittered at him.

"No." He repeated firmly, glaring at it. "You aren't allowed ta eat people. Yeh know tha'." The spider chittered again. This time the governor could almost hear speech interspersed with the clicks.

"Sure. Take it up wi' Aragog. 'e'll tell yeh the same thing. As a matter o' fact we're jus' goin' ta see 'im." Clicking sullenly, the spider scaled a nearby tree with the air of one denied his rightful dues.

After that nothing troubled them again, but the wizard was ever conscious of the multi-legged forms in the trees. Eventually the pair reached a point where even the ground was covered in silk. The watching spiders gathered around them, in the trees and on the ground.

"Aragog?" called Hagrid, his loud voice making the governor wince.

"Hagrid?" came a deep, rumbling voice that the governor felt thrum through the webs.

He gasped. The spider emerging from those silken strands was huge. He'd thought the carthorse spider was big – this thing was the size of an elephant!

"You have brought a guest?" rumbled Aragog.

"Yeah. I told 'im about yeh an' 'e said if I showed him that yeh weren't gonna eat people he'd leave yeh be." Enthused Hagrid.

"Well, I wouldn't go quite that far.." began the governor.

Aragog clicked sharply.

"You will find," he intoned menacingly, "that we are rather _difficult_ to remove."

The governor hesitated, his instinctive objection to threats warring with his sense of self-preservation.

"I will take that into consideration." He said weakly.

They walked back in silence. Upon entering the hut, Hagrid retrieved a bottle of Firewhiskey. The governor happily accepted the offer of some liquid courage, commenting absently: "Do you often drink on the job?"

Hagrid coloured slightly. "No, Mr Governor. This is me home, remember."

"Of course, of course."

Setting down his now empty glass the governor leaned back in his chair. "So. Aside from the Acromantula, is there anything else dangerous in the Forest."

"Nothin' really. 'Cept I did once meet a troll, but on'y once."

The governor sighed. "Tell me about it." he instructed wearily.

"Well, I was out in the Forest gath'rin' some Glumbumble nectar an' I stumbled right on top of 'im. I had to make a big show o' strength – grab a boulder, lift it, chuck it around – but 'e backed off. Never seen another, before or since."

The governor stared at him with something bordering on awe. "You mean to tell me that you scared off a troll with a show of strength? They're walking slabs of muscle!"

"Well, it was a forest troll, see." At the governor's incomprehension, he unwittingly entered lecture mode. "There's three types o' troll. Mountain trolls are the ones ev'ryone knows: twelve feet tall, solid muscle, no brains to speak of. They're too strong to intimidate that easily; in fact, they're too thick to be scared at all. River trolls are very different. Only seven feet tall, they have enough smarts not ta pick a fight with summat bigger than they are. Forest trolls are somewhere in the middle. Around nine feet tall, they have muscles, but not as much as mountain trolls. They have some brains, but less than a river troll. I'm around the same size, so a big show of strength that it was just smart enough to understand had it backing off."

Having heard Hagrid's lecture on Thestrals, seen his display with the Acromantula and heard his knowledge and encounters with trolls, the seed of an idea began to form in the governor's mind.

"Mr. Hagrid," he asked, sounding puzzled, "why haven't you taken up a job working with magical creatures? Your prodigious strength, not to mention your considerable knowledge, would be highly valued."

Hagrid gave him a bemused frown. "I did take a job with animals. I'm the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, aren't I? Besides, Dumbledore 'imself gave me this position. It'd be right ungrateful to leave."

"What if I had an opportunity for you to spread your knowledge of magical creatures, showcase the marvels of the Forest and earn several Galleons while you're at it, all without quitting your job?"

Hagrid frowned as the governor outlined his idea. "I dunno" he said uneasily, "Yeh'd have to get it past the Board o' Governors."

"I'm confident I can sell it to them." Said the wizard, smirking.

"If yeh can get it past the governor's I'm in." Said Hagrid.

The other wizard left with his arguments already constructing themselves in his head.


	2. Preparation

**Hogwarts governors discuss tour** **of Forbidden Forest!**

By Barnabas Cuffe

_It is safe to say that we have all heard of the Forbidden Forest. This mysterious section of the Hogwarts grounds has been off-limits beyond living memory. However, it might not be quite so mysterious for long. The Hogwarts Board of Governors has recently entered discussion on a controversial suggestion: a tour of the Forest. This would be available to adults only and, if approved, is predicted to be ready by September._

_Who is leading this tour, might you ask? Why, none other than one Rubeus Hagrid, presently working as the groundskeeper of Hogwarts. This position involves working with the animals in the Forest, so Mr. Hagrid has acquired a wealth of knowledge about their habits and preferences. His knowledge includes several previously unknown facts, including the fact that Thestrals pull the carriages at Hogwarts._

_Yes, that's right, Thestrals. Mr. Hagrid manages the only breeding herd of Thestrals in Britain, and has trained them to pull carriages of students up to Hogwarts. This is but one example of Mr. Hagrid's affinity for magical creatures. There is also a herd of infamously proud Hippogriffs in the Forest that respond to his beck and call._

_Let's not forget, though, that it is not the ability to train creatures that will be needed in the Forest, but the ability to handle dangerous beasts. Mr. Hagrid bears no wand – but don't let that fool you. He is still more than a match for any beast hiding in the Forest._

_The most obvious thing about Mr. Hagrid is his size. Standing at 8 foot 6 he is a giant of a man. His arms are thick as logs, his muscles stand out from a mile away, and in width he is triple that of most men – in all honesty, their are few creatures in the magical world that would threaten him._

_Despite his size, Mr. Hagrid is rather gentle. Popular amongst several of the younger years, one of Mr. Hagrid' s most frequent visitors is Harry Potter himself. It says a lot that the Boy-Who-Lived is in favour of the groundskeeper. Dumbledore, too, trusts him implicitly. Several First Years have testified that they were permitted by the Headmaster to assist Mr. Hagrid on one of his errands in the Forbidden Forest, proving that Mr. Hagrid is trustworthy enough to be responsible for children. Such trust is not without cause, as Mr. Hagrid has many credentials – this is a man that has befriended an Acromantula, raised dragons and even trained a Cerberus. We at the Daily Prophet have full faith in him, and hope that the Board approves this sensational idea._

Hagrid looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet. The level of support he had received had blown him away. Things he took for granted, like his strength, and actions he saw as normal, like having the Hippogriffs respond to him, were lauded as great achievements and valuable attributes. Across the table, the governor who had set this whole thing off was watching his reaction.

"Well... I wasn' expectin' tha'." Said Hagrid.

"Personally, I'd say we couldn't hope for more."

"Eh?"

"Well," explained the governor, "the amount of support in the Prophet will have the public solidly backing us. They basically made our sales pitch for us, and the Board will know that if they refuse now then the public will be outraged. Best of all, that sneaky little mention of students entering has hamstrung the one person who might be able to call this off: Dumbledore."

"Why would Dumbledore call it off? An' why can' he now?"

"Doubtless he would have spouted that it was 'too dangerous' or that there was 'no need to disturb the animals'. Now, if he calls it off it will look like he doesn't trust you to lead this tour. Which will beg the question – why would he let First Years in with you? Those are questions he won't want to answer, especially if it is revealed that they were there for detention. I can safely say that this project is a go."

"Righ'..." said Hagrid slowly.

"If this will interfere with your duties as a groundskeeper, please tell us. I'm sure that with your newfound reputation we can find some prospective magizoologist who will appreciate being able to say that they've worked with you. They can cover for your duties."

"That sounds like a good idea." Agreed Hagrid.

"Very well." Said the governor briskly, standing up from Hagrid's table. "I'll sort that out; you can get started on preparing for your first tour." And so saying he strode out of Hagrid's hut and away from the Hogwarts grounds. Hagrid, meanwhile, was trying to decide what he'd need to do. The Centaurs would need placating, and Aragog would want extra food in return for not eating the people...

In the end, he decided to start with the centaurs. Striding through their favourite part of the Forest, he put his hands to his mouth and called loudly: "Ronan? Magorian? Are yeh there?"

"Hagrid." Greeted Magorian solemnly, emerging from the bushes to Hagrid's right. Bane was on his left, Ronan on his right. "To what end do you seek us?"

"Well," began Hagrid, a little nervous as he wasn't sure how the centaurs would take this. "There's gonna be a tour o' the Fores', an' I thought, since yeh live here –"

"We will not be gawked at like mindless beasts!" yelled Bane, outraged. "We are far wiser than any wizard, and will NOT allow intruders to our Forest."

That last comment hit a nerve for Hagrid. Angrily, he growled back: "It's as much my Fores' as it is yours. Yer 'ere 'cause Dumbledore said y' could be, an' don' you forge' it!"

"Peace, peace!" cried Ronan. Both Bane and Hagrid took a few calming breaths.

"Hagrid" Magorian said gravely, "you of all people should know that we would never agree to something like that."

"I wasn' suggestin' tha'." Said Hagrid. "I was _gonna_ ask-" he glared at Bane "-if we could do it, but tell yeh when we had a tour so yeh could move to somewhere else. Maybe the back o' the Fores'? That way I could avoid botherin' yeh."

Magorian looked reflective.

"You can't be considering it?" asked Bane incredulously.

"Hush" said Ronan, earning himself a glare from the other centaur.

After some thought Magorian asked "How often would these tours occur?"

"Once, twice a week?" Hagrid replied. "It depends who wants ta go, really."

"We shall consider it." Magorian told Hagrid. Then to the other centaurs "Come. Let us study the sky tonight."

Which was, Hagrid thought, as good as it could get from those ruddy stargazers.

As it turned out, Aragog wasn't too difficult to persuade. An offer of two big stags for every human left alone was enough to seal the deal. Where these would come from, he wasn't sure. Perhaps the money from the tours could pay for it.

With the two potential problems now dealt with, the only delay was the need for a Junior Grounds-keeper.

Rolf Scamander, a recent graduate with a family history of Magizoology, was the eventual choice. Instead of the shortness typical of the Scamanders, Rolf was tall and decently built. His hands were calloused from working outside so often and his skin always seemed slightly smudged, as though he hadn't quite washed all the dirt off. His curly brown hair protruded over his forehead and his blue eyes were always curious. Rolf accompanied Hagrid as the half-giant went about his duties, watching and listening as Hagrid explained everything he did. He learned fast, and while he didn't have the strength of Hagrid, or the unique bonds with certain creatures (namely the Acromantula and the Unicorns) he learnt fast and did have the natural talent for dealing with animals that typified his family.

Soon ads were placed in the Daily Prophet that read:

**Forbidden Forest Tours:**

**Standard Stroll (200G)**

_Take a walk through the Forbidden Forest and see a random variety of magical creatures in their natural activities. Chance to see: Glumbumble, Clabbert, Augurey, Diricawl, Jobberknoll, Jarvey, Bowtruckle, Fairy, Doxy._

**Moonlit Meander (350G)**

_Admire the domesticated herds of the Forest. See creatures you never thought we would see respond to call. Guaranteed sights: Hippogriff, Thestral. _ _Chance to see: Unicorn._

**Terrifying Trail (500G)**

_Take a walk on the dark side of nature as you come face to face with creatures that are black as night. Guaranteed sights: Acromantula, Thestrals._

_Tours available Mondays and Fridays from 1st September. To book, please contact Mr. Ghosh._

The scene was set. All that was left now was to wait for the first tour and see whether it got the seal of approval. Naturally, those who had the most influence were the ones going, which meant Lord Malfoy, Mr. Scamander Sr, Lord Selwyn, Dumbledore, and the Ministry expert, Amos Diggory. This important a group could make or break the enterprise by the power of their opinion alone.

Hagrid was nervous as heck.


	3. Clabberts and Doxies

The day of the first tour was also the day the students returned to the school. Hagrid went through his normal routine, demonstrating to Rolf where the best spots to hang up meat for the Thestrals were. With two Thestrals required to pull each carriage, he needed as many as he could get, so maximizing the distance the scent of blood travelled was vital. Thankfully, Thestrals had extremely good noses and could detect even the faintest traces of blood.

Collecting the Thestrals took longer than usual due to a few small detours: one to remind the centaurs that there was a tour scheduled for later that day, and another reaffirming Aragog's promise that he and his brood wouldn't eat anyone. That done, he rounded up the Thestrals that had come to eat the carcasses and led them to the school gates where the carriages stood waiting. Hagrid explained to Rolf that Professor Kettleburn should be waiting by the Entrance Hall, and to go about his duties as a Junior Grounds-keeper with Kettleburn watching him to ensure that he didn't make any particularly grievous errors. That said, he began shepherding the Thestrals along the road to the station, leaving Rolf panicking slightly about having to do something with the scarred Professor Kettleburn.

Later that night, after the Welcome Feast, the first people to get a tour of the Forbidden Forest were gathered just outside its fringes.

They arrived as a group, most of them having flooed to the Headmaster's office before making their way down to the school grounds. The group was led by Lord Malfoy, who was here as Head of the Board of Governors. His pace was matched by Lord Selwyn. The Selwyn's had exclusive rights to all creature-based imports to Britain, and this monopoly granted them a share in many successful businesses: Scrivenshafts (due to the more exotic quills); the various Apothecaries (for certain ingredients); Twilfit and Tattings (a good portion of their income was sourced from the Acromantula silk robes they sometimes sold); and even Ollivander's - there weren't many dragons in Britain, so the heartstrings often had to be procured from overseas. Considering that this enterprise revolved around magical creatures, it was only fitting that a Selwyn was present.

Behind the two Lords strode Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He was followed by Amos Diggory. As the recognised Ministry authority on magical creatures, his presence was a prerequisite. Finally, Mr Scamander Sr hobbled along, his wrinkled skin showing every one of his many years in this world.

"Righ'," began Hagrid nervously. "Afore we enter, it's very impor'ant tha', if summat happens, yeh listen ta me an' do as I say. 'kay?" This statement met a raised eyebrow from Lord Malfoy. Diggory and Dumbledore seemed amenable, while Lord Selwyn studied Hagrid with a rather aloof expression. Scamander didn't really display much of any particular emotion.

"Is the Prophet correct that you don't bear a wand?" drawled Malfoy in a superior tone. "Could you not afford one or..." He trailed off meaningfully. Professor Dumbledore, keen to defend his gamekeeper from the implication of magical incompetence, intervened.

"Lucius, I assure you Hagrid is quite capable." Dumbledore asserted. Malfoy sneered.

"If he does not even carry a wand his integrity is suspect, and I for one –"

Surprisingly, it was the smooth, oiled tones of Lord Selwyn that interrupted Malfoy's little speech.

"Oh do be quiet. If you truly didn't wish to do this you wouldn't be here. Unless your only intention in coming here was to belittle Mr. Hagrid? A little puerile, don't you think?" Selwyn phrased the question in a tone of innocent enquiry, but none missed the malice behind the remark. Mr. Scamander stirred and spoke for the first time.

"Gentlemen, I believe it would be prudent to, perhaps, begin _before_ dawn comes?" Hagrid gave a relieved nod and led the group into the Forest

The sun was low in the sky, but it did little to illuminate the depths of the Forest. Black trees loomed menacingly out of the thick, grey mist which swirled around their bases. Hagrid's lantern could only do so much to keep it at bay. Catching sight of something ahead, he gestured for the others to stop.

"See tha' glowin' orange blob in that tree? Tha's a Clabbert. They're fairly small lizard-like creatures tha' eat insects an' the odd roden'. An int'restin' thing 'bout Clabberts is that they sometimes work t'gether wi' Bowtruckles, livin' in the same tree." This proclamation elicited a frown from Diggory

"Are you sure about that Hagrid?" he questioned doubtfully. "There are no ministry records of such an interaction."

"Oh." Hagrid frowned uneasily. "Well, I've def'nitely seen 'em in th' same tree. I think, from wha' I've seen, tha' the Clabber' eats insects an' other pests that migh' o' damaged the tree. An' when summat big comes along, it flashes so the 'truckle knows there's summat comin'."

Scamander seemed to be interested in this theory. "So what kind of pests does the Clabbert eat that the Bowtruckle couldn't deal with?"

"Well, it's more a case o' the Clabbert gettin' a good food supply an' the 'truckle gettin' an' early warnin'. I've also seen 'em work together against a group o' Doxies. The 'truckle gets a few, the Clabber' eats a few, an' th' res' back off."

Scamander frowned. "Interesting. It was believed that the Doxy had no natural predators due to the large venom sacs. How does the Clabbert deal with the venom?"

Hagrid shifted uncomfortably. "I don' really know."

"Perhaps we can examine that Clabbert over there?" suggested Dumbledore. Hagrid shook his head.

"Tha' one hasn' go' a Bowtruckle."

The entourage stared at him.

"How do you know?" asked Dumbledore, bemused.

"How can he know? It's nothing more than an orange light from here!" exclaimed Diggory.

"Well normally th' Clabber' has an orange ligh', bu' when they've partnered up wi' a Bowtruckle the ligh' is more o' a yellowish colour."

Scamander nodded. "Of course. The acidic Doxy venom would naturally be mistaken by the Clabbert's immune system as the Clabbert's own bioluminous enzyme and thus would be diverted to the pustule, resulting in a more yellowish colour being emitted."

No-one else had a clue what the old man had just said, but they decided not to acknowledge that fact.

"Well then," beamed Dumbledore. "Now that we have all learnt something new, and received a small dose of what the Muggles call 'humble pie', I suggest we continue with the expedition. I look forward to the next marvel we encounter."

As it turned out, the next encounter was equally controversial. The first hint was a minute lightening of the fog. This developed into a white glow coming from an adult unicorn. Standing at 17 hands, the majestic creature eyed the group warily.

"If we ge' any closer, 'e'll bolt." Murmured Hagrid.

"I thought you had these trained?" sneered Malfoy.

"There's no trainin' a unicorn. 'sides, there're three types o' people a unicorn can' stan'. They ain't too keen on men, they hate anyone who's used Dark Arts, an' they 'ave a problem with... with..." Hagrid went red as he struggled to find the right words. Mr. Scamander came to his rescue.

"I believe Mr. Hagrid is trying to tell you that the unicorn prefers, ah, _virgins._ I believe it is safe to say that this is not the best group to encounter a unicorn with. Especially an adult."

"Yeah, when they're younger they're more trustin'. Less particular."

Malfoy, however was not listening to Hagrid:

"And just what are you implying Scamander?" he demanded, holding himself as every bit the offended Lord.

"Well," drawled Selwyn. "I was under the impression that a First year Slytherin by the name of Draco was your son? Unless he is lying, or you had a son without-"

The blonde drew himself up. "How dare you!"

This interchange was quite poignant, as it demonstrated how both men enforced their superiority on others. The Malfoy Lord constantly reminded those around him of his wealth, prestige and, if it suited him, his ties to certain unsavoury individuals. Selwyn, on the other hand, used his sharp tongue to poke holes in everything that was said, and did so in the most derogatory fashion conceivable. With these two at loggerheads, something had to happen soon.

And happen it did. The raised voices proved too much for the unicorn, which turned and bolted through the trees. The company watched it go in silence.

Suddenly, Malfoy cried out in pain and clapped a hand to his ear.

"Something bit me!" he exclaimed.

Diggory yelped as he felt a painful bite on the back of his neck, and yelped again when a stunner whizzed past his ear. There was a thud, then silence. Bending down, Diggory picked up the unconscious animal.

"It's a Doxy."

Scamander frowned. "Odd. While aggressive, Doxies don't usually attack targets this large on their own."

"I dunno, Mister Scamander." Mused Hagrid. "They can be right vicious if yeh disturb th' nes'."

"We have not moved for the past few minutes." Pointed out Dumbledore. Then he sighed. "Oh of course. The unicorn."

"Shhhh" hissed Hagrid, flapping his hands at Dumbledore.

With the absence of anyone talking a soft buzzing could be heard, getting louder by the second.

"Oh, no' good, no' good." Mumbled Hagrid, wringing his hands.

"They can't be that bad" sniffed Selwyn.

"In small quantities, no." Agreed Scamander. "But an entire swarm has been known to deliver enough venom to have severe adverse effects."

By now the buzzing was louder than speech, and the Doxies a visible cloud approaching them at pace. In a moment of inspiration, Hagrid unslung the now empty sack from his back that had held raw meat for the Thestrals and threw it to the right of the Doxy swarm. The sack flew past the swarm trailing the scent of blood. As one, the Doxies veered off in pursuit of a new, tastier smelling target, completely ignoring the assembled wizards.

"C'mon." Said Hagrid. "This way, while they're busy."

So saying he led the group away from the creatures now ripping apart the old sack.


	4. New Discoveries

A/N: Timturtle, thank you for the feedback. I am glad to hear that you like the story, so thanks to you and everyone else who has favourited and followed.

Lucius Malfoy was thinking furiously. Thus far, the 'tour' of the Forbidden Forest had not gone quite as expected – Hagrid was indeed a bumbling buffoon, incapable of even wielding a wand, but Malfoy had witnessed a demonstration of some negligible understanding of creatures. Of course, that was probably more blind luck than anything else, but he feared that the others might not see it that way. Dumbledore would obviously support his pet; he had to in order to save face. To dispute the competence of his own groundskeeper, after sending children into the Forest under his care, would be social suicide. Lucius smirked to himself. That was a sleek bit work there, and he mentally applauded the person who managed to box Dumbledore into a corner. He knew from experience just how difficult a feat that was.

Malfoy frowned. Despite this, he was not keen for this venture to succeed, as it would bring in a hefty profit for Hogwarts, and by extension Dumbledore. To prevent this however, he would need a way to convince the others – more so Selwyn and Scamander, both had significantly more pull than Diggory – that the gamekeeper was not up to the task expected of him.

Selwyn shouldn't be too hard to sway – their family name had become synonymous with creature-based products, and Selwyn was unlikely to loosen this chokehold on a good source of income merely for a trivial thing like this.

Diggory was more likely to side with Dumbledore than Malfoy, though perhaps if Lucius could exploit his hatred of dark creatures...

Scamander, unfortunately, was a mystery to him. The man was too reserved for the blonde to get a read on him, which meant he was a bit of a wild card.

He could only hope Dumbledore didn't interfere. Again.

It would have surprised Malfoy to learn that, as a matter of fact, Dumbledore was also less than enthusiastic about this proposed tour service. There was a reason that the Forest was forbidden, and that was the dangerous creatures inhabiting it; to send unprepared visitors into the Forest for the express purpose of meeting those animals seemed like tempting fate. He did not mind Hagrid's excursions into the trees, as he knew that the half-giant could handle himself. The same could not be said for the hapless magicals that might want to take this tour.

In addition, should the students learn that several people were easily permitted to enter the forest, they may cease to fear it as much as they currently did. He could all too easily imagine a foolish Griffindor or a curious Ravenclaw sneaking into the Forest without supervision, presuming the dangers to be exaggerated. They would soon learn otherwise.

Such an event could not be allowed to happen. It would be a disappointing and unnecessary loss of life. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had been searching for a loophole to exploit ever since the announcement was made public, and he was stuck. Whoever had fed the Prophet their info, they were smart. He was pinned.

Lord Selwyn found himself considering whether it might be worth approving this novel idea, if for no other reason than to see where it went. Permitting the hapless populace of Wizarding Britain entrance to a forest of magical creatures, guided by a half-witted grunt that didn't even have a wand, sounded to him like it could be rather amusing to watch – so long as he wasn't caught up in the fallout. To that end, he would have to be careful how he voiced his support; if he phrased it right, he could lay any potential blame at someone else's feet, while still being able to claim involvement should this 'tour' business actually prove successful. On the other hand, if the array of useful ingredients obtainable in this Forest became common knowledge it would likely detract from his own source of income. After all, who in their right minds would pay for expensive imports when there was another, much more accessible source of creature parts in Britain? No, that would not do. He certainly didn't need competition; exclusivity breeds demand.

Selwyn frowned to himself. Acromantula silk was exclusive alright – the cost to import it was so great that there was barely any profit – if Twilfit and Tattings charged too much more than the price they got it for it would become too expensive for even pureblood lords. However, there had been reports of an Acromantula colony in the Forest. If he could just –

"Here we are!" exclaimed Hagrid, tearing Selwyn from his thoughts

Glancing at his surroundings, the Lord observed very little of interest. They were in a small basin, with the land around them sloping down towards a muddy pool of water. Apparently this pool was of some significance, as the gamekeeper crouched by the edge of its muddy waters and stared intently at something only he could see. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence Hagrid reached into the pool and withdrew... something.

It seemed vaguely lizard-like, with a long body and legs extended sideways. The creature's skin was a mottled brown with gold specks scattered throughout, though it was difficult to tell with the water still rolling off its body. Selwyn frowned. It had been out of the pond for several seconds now; surely there shouldn't be that much water on it. Movement around the lizard's neck drew his attention to a ring of feathers that flexed outwards, creating a small pocket of air separating it's body from the water that was still flowing off of the bizarre creature. In an attempt to wriggle free of Hagrid's grip, the lizard squirmed, beating its tail back and forth, a tail which had fins running along the top and the bottom.

"Mr. Hagrid." Began Scamander, breaking the confused silence. "What exactly am I looking at?"

Seeming slightly embarrassed, Hagrid shifted on his feet. "Erm... well, I don' rightly know, Mister Scamander. I've never heard o' anythin' like it, an' there's nothin' in th' Hogwarts library as looks like it."

"Interesting. Mr. Diggory, have you heard of anything that resembles this creature?"

"There is nothing in the Ministry records like this."

Malfoy sneered. "In that case, who is to say that we aren't simply looking at some Muggle creature that has wormed its way into the Forest. Do you have something to add?" This last comment was directed at a chuckling Dumbledore, who responded with his signature grandfatherly smile.

"Once again our hubris comes to the fore. When presented with a unique creature we have not heard of before, we automatically assume that someone else has heard of it. If no-one does recognise it we assume it is a Muggle critter and continue to avoid acknowledging what is staring us in the face: we are looking at a new, hitherto undiscovered magical creature."

"Ridiculous!" sneered Malfoy. "You expect us to believe that this is some beast we don't know about?"

"I agree with Lord Malfoy." nodded Amos Diggory. "There hasn't been a new creature discovered in the last decade!"

"Then it is high time for a new addition." Interjected Scamander.

Selwyn rolled his eyes. An uncouth gesture, but oddly satisfying. "How about we determine just what about this creature could be considered magical in the first place, before we bicker like children."

The four wizards blinked, thoroughly chastened, before agreeing to examine the thing.

"So Hagrid, what about the lizard is magical?"

"Well, I don' know how, but it keeps makin' water that rolls off its back. No matter wha' yeh do yeh can' dry it off."

"So the lizard is a little wet. Hardly magical." Malfoy still had his sneer firmly in place.

"I've also seen 'em create a li'l bubble around 'emselves while they're swimmin'. I think 't makes 'em swim faster. The most int'restin' thing is tha' they heal crazy fas'. This one 'ere lost a limb, but it's grown back in a week!"

Dumbledore turned to Diggory. "If this is true, then would you agree that this is a new magical creature?"

Diggory frowned. _"If_ Mr. Hagrid is telling the truth, then yes, this would be a new species of magical creature."

Meanwhile, Scamander was examining the creature. "The closest thing I've seen to it is a salamander, but even that is wildly different. Albus, have you ever..."

As the elderly wizard moved in for a closer look Selwyn sighed to himself. At this rate they would take all night.

"Yes, yes. While I'm sure this is all terribly fascinating, I am not here to spend the night staring at a lizard. Shall we move on?"

"But of course" agreed Dumbledore magnanimously. "Hagrid, what is next on the agenda?"

"Well, the on'y thing I was really plannin' teh show yeh after this were the Acromantula."

"Then lead on!"


	5. Wheeling and Dealing

They had been walking for a while when Hagrid turned his head and called over his shoulder: "We're at the edge of th' Acromantula colony now. I was thinkin' we might jus' stick around 'ere, 'stead of goin' to the nes'. Aragog did promise not to eat anyone, but I still don' wan' to push me luck."

"I thought you said the Acromantula were under control!" objected Malfoy loudly. Selwyn, too, objected. "Don't tell me you fall short of the claims you've made. If you can't keep a lid on the Acromantula then this whole idea is over."

"Please, calm down." Interceded Dumbledore. "Hagrid did not mean that the Acromantula presented a threat. He was simply stating that leading a group of potential meals onto the centre of a nest is foolhardy, regardless of the protections in place."

"Damn right." Agreed Diggory with an emphatic nod of his head.

"Sound advice." Murmured Scamander.

At that precise moment a spider the size of a Ford Anglia (not that anyone there knew that) dropped from the trees directly in front of the group. It chittered at Hagrid in accented English interspersed with clicks that had no phonetic transcription, and could only be represented by punctuation.

"Is t!his th!e f!ood t!h!at yo!u wi!ll giv!e us foo!d fo!r not e!ati!ng?"

"It can talk?" Malfoy yelped.

The spider somehow managed to frown without having any facial features to move.

"Do!es it h!ave to s!ay w!hat eve!ryth!ing kno!ws to u!nde!rsta!nd its!elf?" The spider chittered angrily.

"No! O' course no'. Mister Malfoy jus' didn' realise wha' he was sayin'. Ain't that righ' Mister Malfoy?"

The blonde's default inclination was to object; however, the only reason the senior Malfoy was on top of society and not enjoying the comfort of Azkaban was due to his impeccable survival instincts. And right now those instincts were telling him to play along. "Um...yes. My – apologies."

The spider clicked thoughtfully. "Co!u!ld I eat hi!m?"

"No." Insisted Hagrid. "I told yeh if yeh don' eat th' people wi' me yeh'll ge' a nice deer later."

"Hm!mmm!m. Eat ann!oyi!ng hum!an n!ow... or eat jui!cy dee!r lat!er..."

"Come on, I know yeh like deer. Doubt Malfoy'd taste much good anyway."

Both Scamander and Selwyn got a good laugh out of Malfoy's expression as he tried to decide whether he should be offended or glad.

"I w!ant a yo!ung on!e. The! juic!y littl!e de!ers ta!ste s!o goo!ood."

"Deal." Said Hagrid quickly. "An' I'll make sure yeh get firs' serve."

With that the spider turned and left, leaving the rest of the group wondering how the man who just convinced an Acromantula to walk away from easy food could possibly be the same man who struggled to hold any kind of conversation. A mystery for another day.

It was almost dawn by the time the group left the Forbidden Forest. Scamander had made an agreement with Hagrid that he could write a thesis on the newly discovered relationship between Bowtruckles and Clabberts, giving Hagrid credit for actually discovering the interaction. They also made plans to study the new magical creature from the pond in further depth.

As the group parted ways, Lord Selwyn requested to speak to Hagrid in his hut. Glancing at the rest of the group the half-giant double-checked that no-one else wanted to enter his hut, "on'y it'd be a bit squished."

"While I appreciate the offer, Hagrid, I am afraid I shall have to decline for now." Said Dumbledore.

"I have no intention of entering that _hovel."_ Sniffed Malfoy. "No self-respecting wizard would." His eyes darted to Selwyn, whose expression held just the right amount of indifference to irritate him.

"I'm sorry, can't stay. Always too much to do, you know how it is." Begged off Diggory.

"Thank you for the offer, but no. I intend to return home now and begin writing up that thesis on Clabberts."

With that the group parted ways, Diggory, Dumbledore, Scamander and Malfoy heading up to the castle while Selwyn and Hagrid moved towards the gamekeeper's hut.

Once inside Selwyn eyed the place with distaste. The décor was drab and terribly simple, the furniture hard and wooden. What caught his eye though was the sheaves of unicorn hair hanging from the ceiling, the Thestral hair bundled in the corner and the – and the Acromantula silk hanging from a hook on the wall.

"Say, Hagrid," he began idly. "I don't suppose you know what the going rate for unicorn tail hair is?"

Hagrid eyed him suspiciously. "Can' say I do. Why?"

"I thought not. What about the average cost of Acromantula silk?"

"Whadda yeh wan' Selwyn?" growled Hagrid.

The other man was taken aback at the rudeness; until now Hagrid had been at least unaggressive, if rather crude. This sudden turn about was unexpected and could hamper his efforts. He thought for a second, before spotting the cause of this sudden change.

"Do not stress yourself. I have no ill intentions towards your many-legged friends."

"What d'yeh wan' Selwyn?" repeated Hagrid more calmly.

"Well, I could not help but notice that you had this fine collection of magical creature parts just sitting gathering dust. I was wondering if you would be willing to part with it? For a suitable price, of course."

"Well...it does seem a shame not to do summat with it."

Selwyn saw this opening and grabbed it with both hands.

"Exactly! Resources such as these were not meant to be left to rot. They should be used! To that end I was wondering if you would be willing to enter a contract with me."

"What sort o' contract?" enquired Hagrid suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing much." Selwyn assured him. "Just saying that if you find any creature parts lying around you'll sell them to me."

"Now look 'ere. I won' be strippin Aragog's nes' of 'is web or stealin' hair from a Unicorn."

Selwyn blinked. Apparently the groundskeeper wasn't quite as dim as he thought. Time to backpedal slightly.

"No, no, nothing like that. How about, if you find any creature products that are no longer being used by anybody you'll sell them to me?"

Hagrid frowned, looking for a catch. When he couldn't see one he shrugged. "I don' see why no'."

Internally Selwyn was dancing up and down with glee. His monopoly was solely on imports, which meant that several firms had begun to source creature based products from Britain. Not paying for international transport meant they could sell at cheaper prices and cut into his profits. Now he had his own source of British creature parts, meaning that he could get involved in one of these companies by offering them even better resources in exchange for a percentage of the profit. Then he could undercut the competition and remove one more thorn from his side. In fact, he could probably convince this halfwit to sell him the parts for a lower price than usual, further boosting his profits.

When, after hashing out details, Lord Selwyn left Hagrid's hut, he was that much happier than he had been before.

A/N: I feel like I am just begging for reviews now, but I am really interested to hear your thoughts on the different aspects of my story. For example, what do you think of Lord Selwyn? While Malfoy is a bigoted snob, with Selwyn I was trying to go for the shrewd businessman that always looked for a way to boost his profits. How did I do?


	6. An Unwelcome Discovery

*Time skip*

It was now halfway through the school year, and Hagrid found himself with more Galleons than he knew what to do with. The weekly tours had been approved after Diggory, Scamander and Selwyn publically voiced their support for him, and despite the profit from each tour being split 50/50 between himself and Hogwarts, that still left at least a hundred galleons per tour. On top of that, after Newt Scamander had published his article on the relationship between Bowtruckles and Clabberts Hagrid received a request from Ollivander to examine their trees. After a thorough inspection the wand maker had requested to source his wood from the Forest, as a tree with Bowtruckles provided the best wood for wands. Being paid for a monthly shipment of wand wood as well as the odd creature parts he found and sold to Selwyn not only increased his income but also meant that he was building a bit of a name for himself amongst suppliers in the wizarding world; Hagrid didn't know it, but by supplying the number one wand maker in all of Britain with both wood and, indirectly, cores meant that he was now viewed as a player in the world of wizarding business, instead of simply being one of the pieces. Although he wasn't on the same level as people like the Selwyns or the Greengrasses (who had had fingers in every business using plants beyond living memory – thus their family name), he was still respected for having singlehandedly started a brand new type of business and then undercut several long-standing partnerships that had once been considered impregnable. Not least of these was the fact that, despite their best efforts, the Greengrasses could not manage to set up a deal with Hagrid like they had with Ollivander's previous supplier, meaning that they no longer had a share in the wand making business.

The long and short of this was that Hagrid didn't know what to do with his money. Even with the lucrative rewards he gave Aragog in exchange for leaving the humans alone was not enough to diminish his stash. Although, now that news of the petrifications was beginning to spread there were less people willing to go to the Forbidden Forest. He didn't mind though, it gave him more time to tend to the creatures and train Rolf. Rolf was coming along well: he could manage most things aside from the Acromantula and Unicorns, and was now responsible for taking care of the Hippogriffs. Meanwhile, Hagrid was attempting to discern what the ruddy hell kept killing his roosters. He knew it wasn't the Acromantula, they wouldn't think it worth the bother, and it couldn't have been anything confined to the lake. His current suspect was the Kelpie, as it could change form to travel on land and he knew for a fact that it liked rooster, but the problem was that none of the roosters were actually missing. They were all accounted for, with their necks wrung and their flesh untouched. If anything predatory had been responsible it would have surely eaten the roosters, but that hadn't happened, which begged the question: what was killing the roosters, and why was it doing so?

As he sat in his hut examining one of the dead birds he heard a tentative knock on his door. Striding over, he threw it open and found himself facing a group of third year Ravenclaws, none of whom he knew.

"Er...hello?"

The Ravenclaws looked at each other nervously, before one of them stepped forward. Trying to hide his nervousness, he said "Uhm, h-h-hi. W-well, you know how some people have been petrified, right?" he frowned at himself. "Well yeah, of course you know. But, we – we were wondering, if it is Slytherin's monster, like everyone says, what could be doing that?" As he spoke the boy grew more confident as his mind focused on the unsolved puzzle.

"None of us have ever heard of a creature that can petrify people, so we came to ask you." Behind the speaker the others were nodding and murmuring agreement.

"Well, come in then, an' I'll see if I can think of summat." Said Hagrid

As the group got settled in his hut the half-giant frowned. "There's not much as can petrify a person. In fact, I'm not sure there's anythin' at all, least not a creature. It's right difficult ta find a creature that can do summat to a person wi'out leavin' a mark o' some sort. A Lethifol' don't leave anythin', bu' that's not quite right. I s'pose a Basilisk could hurt someone withou' a mark, bu' a Basilisk kills, it don't petrify. A Cockatrice, though. Tha' can hurt yeh with a glance, an' it leaves yeh petrified."

"What's a Cockatrice?" asked one of the students.

"Oh, righ'. Rare things, Cockatrices. Yeh won' find much about 'em in books, a lot o' people think they're all gone. They're like a small, two-legged dragon with a rooster's head. 'Bout as tall as you, bu' a bit longer. An' like I said, if yeh look 'em in the eye you're petrified."

"Then the monster in the Chamber is a Cockatrice!" Exclaimed one of the Ravenclaws. Her face fell when Hagrid shook his head.

"There ain't no way a Cockatrice can live long enough to be th' monster. 'Sides, how would Slytherin control it?"

"How would he control any other monster?" pointed out a different Ravenclaw.

"Well, if yeh put the time in yeh can teach anythin'. Jus' look at me 'n Aragog. Anyone'd tell yeh tha' Acromantula are untrainable. Didn't stop us." He shook his head sadly. "There's so many beau'iful creatures tha' are terribly misunderstood."

The Ravenclaws exchanged glances, and the one who had spoken first leaned forward. "Yes, but what about the monster in the Chamber?"

Hagrid sighed. "Like I said, a Cockatrice wouldn' live that long."

"It would if you put a stasis charm on it!" argued the teen.

"Not gonna work," disagreed Hagrid, "a stasis charm'd cause trouble with the Cockatrice's own magic. One of 'em would break."

The Ravenclaw huffed, frustrated. "Well I don't see what else it could be. The only other thing that makes any sense is a Basilisk, but that kills people."

"Sorry, bu' I can' think o' anythin' else for yeh." Sighed Hagrid.

As the disgruntled Ravenclaws filed out of his hut Hagrid frowned to himself. He had already decided that there wasn't anything in the Forest that might have killed his roosters, but what about Slytherin's monster? If it was a Cockatrice, which had somehow survived so long, then it might have seen the roosters as competition. Despite his doubts, more and more things seemed to point towards the monster being a Cockatrice.

Dumbledore peered over half-moon glasses at his fidgeting gamekeeper, his signature twinkle notably absent. "Are you certain of this Hagrid? If what you suggest is true then we may have a serious problem. The last confirmed sighting of a Cockatrice was 94 years ago. They are believed to be extinct. More pressingly, they are notoriously violent and there is no easy way to subdue them. Might I enquire what led you to this conclusion?"

Hagrid shifted. Describing the discussion he had had earlier that morning, he did his best to convey why it made sense for the monster to be a Cockatrice. When he mentioned the problems with his roosters, however, Dumbledore leaned forward.

"So something unknown has killed your roosters, not for food, but simply for the sake of killing them? That is troubling news. A creature that kills for pleasure is not something that ought to be around children. Tell me, have you noticed anything else untowards?" as he spoke his expression was one of urgency. He desperately hoped that his first suspicion proved unfounded, because if not then the situation was a whole lot worse then he would ever have expected.

Hagrid frowned in concentration as he racked his brains for anything out of the ordinary. "Well, the Grindylows've been in a righ' state. Summat must o' riled 'em up; prob'ly the Kelpie. An' Aragog's been frettin' – summat 'bout an' old enemy. I don' know fer sure what he means. Maybe another Acromantula?"

With a defeated sigh Dumbledore slumped back in his chair. His eyes closed tiredly, and the aura of spritely magic that always encompassed him fluttered and died. In that moment Albus Dumbledore looked every one of his many decades alive.

"Pr'fessor?" enquired Hagrid anxiously. "Another Acromantula ain't tha' bad, is it?"

Dumbledore looked up, his weary gaze falling on the half-giant. "My apologies, Hagrid. However, I suspect that the enemy Aragog spoke of is much, much older than that. Now tell me, when will your shipment of new roosters arrive?"

Thrown by the non sequitur, Hagrid nevertheless answered "The day after tomorrer, sir."

"I see..." murmured Dumbledore. He gazed into space, mentally weighing the pros and cons of different courses of action. Risk alerting the heir that he knew something serious was afoot, or allow a Basilisk to threaten the students for two days without precautions. After much deliberation he decided that the potential loss of human life far outweighed the risk of provoking the heir. Returning to the present, Dumbledore noticed Hagrid shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Calm yourself Hagrid. You have no cause to be concerned. However, we will be instituting more severe security measures after today, and I would be much obliged if you would inform me the moment those roosters arrive. Thank you for bringing me your concerns. I suspect you have been of more help then you suspect."

Recognising his dismissal, Hagrid left the office, leaving Dumbledore to contemplate how he would go about stopping a Basilisk as old as Hogwarts itself.

A/N: I originally intended to have the conversation in the hut be some epiphany about the monster being the Basilisk, but then as I wrote it I realised that a Cockatrice made so much more sense. As it turns out a Cockatrice and a Basilisk have almost identical legends and are often confused. However, I didn't fancy killing off a bunch of characters who went to kill a Cockatrice and met a Basilisk, so I decided not to follow through with it. So any suggestions as to what Dumbledore does? If you guess where the plot is headed I will be very, _very_ impressed.


End file.
